Bringing meals to an elderly couple with special dietary needs...

[Julie in CA]

I have brought meals for an elderly couple before in the past when one or the other hasn't been feeling well. Often I'd bring a meal for their freezer, a meal for their fridge to heat & eat the next night, and a hot meal for that evening.

 

The husband has been hospitalized recently and continues to bounce back and forth between home & hospital.

The wife sent me an email asking if I'd be willing to supply them with meals for a couple of weeks, since they've loved my cooking in the past and they really need the help.

 

I'd be glad to do so, but there are dietary restrictions right now, and I'm looking for meal ideas. Here is part of her email to me:

 

For at least two weeks Richard cannot have any raw veges because he has severe diverticulosis and probably diverticulitis because the doctor wants to rest his bowels. He likes most veges but he does not like brussel sprouts. He is to be on a bland diet so he cannot have bran, wheat germ, bread or cereal with nuts, seeds or wheatgerm flour, brown or wild rice, corn, corn meal, corn bread, fruits with seeds or skins: raw veges.

Will this be a problem for you? He can have flake cereal, mashed potatoes, pancakes, waffles, pasta, white bread, rice, applesauce, bananas, eggs, meat, fish, poultry, cooked veges without seeds. He really likes sweet potatoes and anything chocolate and the diet did not say he could not have them. The one pasta he does like is the very thin spaghetti. Let me know if all this is possible for you.

 

In the past they've been mostly meat & potatoes people, so I'd bring pot roast with gravy and mashed potatoes, or pan-seared herb chicken with cream sauce and roasted potatoes, or marinated london broil with garlic bread and sauteed veg. Sometimes a chicken pot pie with a green salad. Some of that may not be okay now.

 

I'm looking for meal ideas! :bigear:

[StephanieZ]

My uncle is on that diet. They call it the caveman diet, lol. Pot roast should be fine. Potato or pasta based casseroles are good bets, too. You are so kind to help them.

[gingersmom]

What a nice thing to do.

 

Shepherds pie is what came to mind. Sweet potato pie.

[Starr]

I would follow the foods they liked in the past and substitute the foods he can't have. Cook up those veggies like the good ole days and skip the green salad. :)

[runbikeswim]

Roast chicken with mashed potatoes and steamed veg. Meatloaf with mashed potatoes and steamed veg. Pork chops with sweet potatoes and baked apples. Salmon, asparagus and white rice. Chicken spaghetti (if he can do cheese, not sure). Simple quiches.